The weather was wonderful, and our members and guests seemed to really enjoy the burgers and dogs. We couldn’t grill ’em fast enough! Many thanks to the hard-working team that ran the grill: Tony Reynolds, Bob Hawsey, Doug Smith, Brad Hawkins, and Tom Keckeisen. And Walter George oversaw quality control by sampling several of the products right off the grill. We couldn’t have done it without you guys! Thank you!

And many thanks to our Membership Committee, Katherine Keckeisen and Mary Ann Lane, who manned the front desk all day. And to Katherine again for taking these awesome photos. Summer is here!!!

Everyone is anxiously awaiting news about the pool, and here it is!

Important links:
Pool Calendar for Summer 2015
Pool Rules

We will open at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, May 22nd and remain open through 7:00 p.m. on Monday, May 25th, Memorial Day. Like last year, we will be having a Member-Guest Cookout on Saturday, May 23rd. Members can bring guests at no charger, and the traditional Murraywood Cookout fare will be served at 1:00 p.m. Guests and members must pay to eat, but no entrance guest fee will be charged. Like always, the $5 per person, $20 per family fee will make it easy and affordable to eat.

We have been super busy doing deck repairs. This old pool is definitely showing some signs of age. However, we are very lucky to have Louis and Sue Biles, our swim coaches, who are knowledgeable and helpful, and are assisting in all maintenance areas. Yay!

Re-strapping chairs continues as well.

Family Movie Night in the Pool will be held on Saturday, June 13th. The movie to be presented has yet to be selected. We are putting together a focus group of youngsters who will be picking the movie title. The focus groups will meet on Sunday, May 17, and we will announce the movie on Monday, May 18th.

Join us in the Clubhouse on Friday, March 27th for our annual Casino Night. It starts at 7:00 p.m. and runs until 10:30 p.m., at which time you can turn in your chips for chances to win prizes. This year, two top prizes of a $150 membership credit will be awarded!

Admission is $15 per person, and includes two drink tickets, chips for the games and snacks.

Come on out to Murraywood tonight for our annual spaghetti supper.  Starting 6:00 p.m., enjoy homecooked spaghetti, bread, salad, desserts, beverages (including wine) for just $10 per person over the age of 12.  Ages 6 to 12 eat for $5 per person, and little 5 and under eat FREE!  And, we do the dishes! What could be better?

All proceeds go to Club improvements.

The schedule for beginner and advanced beginner junior tennis clinics is listed below.  Contact Anne Reynolds if you have questions:  (803) 429-3031.

8 and Under Beginner Tennis
Mondays and Wednesdays, 4:00 to 5:00 p.m.
$10 per day for Facility and Tennis Members; $15 per day for Pool and Non-Members

9 and Older Intermediate
Mondays and Wednesdays, 5:00 to 6:00 p.m.
$10 per day for Facility and Tennis Members; $15 per day for Pool and Non-Members

Happy Warm Weather!

Swim Team has started, swimming lessons are in full swing, and the weather is cooperating (unlike last year!). Here are some important updates for our members:

Assembly Party
Initially we had scheduled another Assembly Party for re-strapping chairs for tomorrow, Thursday, May15th. This has been re-scheduled for Sunday, May 18th at 12:00 p.m. Please say you’ll help! We have 2 cases of beer that we would love to donate to some hard workers! Thanks again to all who have already helped out with this unbelievably overwhelming project. Our members are simply the best.

Drowning Prevention
Please, please, please read this important article about drowning (click here). Our staff is trained to be ever-vigilant in their duties, but all of us poolside should be aware of the signs of a swimmer in distress. Drowning is referred as a “quiet event,” unlike the dramatic splashing and thrashing portrayed in movies.

Copies of our Emergency Action Plan are available in the Guard Shack, and we will be conducting regular drills over the summer, with featured “drowners” that we will rescue. Drill dates and times will be publicized to the membership so that children and adults can be spared the panic of thinking that an actual drowning is occurring. More information about our drills will be forthcoming in the upcoming weeks.

Swim Team Events/Fundraisers
Mark your calendar! Two fun Swim Team fundraisers are right around the corner.  Ale House Spirit Day will held on Wednesday, May 21st from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. The Murraywood Swim Team will receive 10% of all non-bar sales on this day! Sounds like going out to eat time! And Moe’s Spirit Day is scheduled for Wednesday, June 4th from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. with a portion of the profits coming right back to the Sharks! Helping the team has never been easier or tastier!

Pool Calendar
We will be opening for the Memorial Day holiday weekend at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, May 23rd, and will be open that weekend through 7:00 p.m. Monday, May 26th. Our full summer calendar is on our website at this link: http://murraywoodswimandracquetclub.org/pool/pool-hours/.

Pool ID Number
The most recent email from Murraywood includes your ID number for signing into the pool. Please note that only Facility and Pool members can sign in using that number. Tennis ID numbers are not valid for pool sign-in.

Pool Rules
Click here for our complete Summer Swim 2014 Pool Rules. It’s great reading!!!

Memorial Day Party
We will be having Member-Guest Day on Saturday, May 24. Any Pool or Facility member can bring a guest family to enjoy the day for FREE! We will be offering the traditional Murraywood Cookout food around lunchtime on Saturday for $5 per person or $20 per family. If your guests want to enjoy the cookout, they will need to pay for that, and of course, it’s optional!

Summer Jr. Tennis Clinics
Fun beginner tennis clinics start the week of June 9. Click here for more information.

Well, we worked really, really hard today, but only finished about half of the chairs. As it turns out, attaching the straps is really tough!

We will be having another Assembly Party on Thursday, May 15 at 7:00 p.m., and could really use a good group of workers. We hate to keep asking for help, but the DIY spirit at Murraywood is how we keep costs low. Please say you’ll come help! annieb1@mindspring.com.

Big thank yous to: Tony Reynolds, Katherine Keckeisen, Steve Hirsch, Doug Smith, Lynn Moore, Bob Hawsey, David Sherer, Will Sherer, Dorothy Marchant, Mary Ann Lane, Jim Mosteller, Thad Stratford, Joe Provence, Cindy Provence, Marty Kearse, Laura Hawsey, Beth Bradley, Chris Bradley and I sure hope I didn’t leave anyone out! Thank these wonder-workers, and keep in mind that a lot of them are tennis folks! Murraywood members are the best!